


Too Late

by starsandsupernovae



Category: Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: ANGSTY ANGST ANGST, Angst, Everyone Needs A Hug, Heavy Angst, Hurt Peter Parker, Pain, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, SteveTony, Stony - Freeform, Superfamily, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, fluff? no just kidding no fluff just angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-17 13:27:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13659948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsandsupernovae/pseuds/starsandsupernovae
Summary: Peter gets hurt. Tony's on the other side of the world from his son.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is angst. Just angst. Be warned.

Tony was in a meeting when his phone buzzed. His head snapped up as he felt it in his pocket, knowing that no one was supposed to call him now. A surreptitious glance down revealed that it was Pepper calling, which only deepened the mystery. Pepper knew the importance of this meeting, the culmination of months of negotiation, it was she who insisted he fly to Japan for this, she who hadn’t wanted him to have his phone on at all. 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Saitō.” Tony stood as the other man took a breath in the middle of his presentation. “I need to take this.”

“I’m sorry?” Mr. Saito stared as Tony brought his phone to his ear. Surely the American wasn’t insane enough to do this, to jeopardize this deal. He saw the blood drain from Stark’s face as he heard whatever the person on the other line was saying. Watched him press end call with an almost robotic-like expression.

“I apologize. But I need to leave.” Tony stood, still with a blank shocked look on his face.

“What?!” Mr. Yamamoto burst out looking down the conference table at him in surprise and outrage. “Mr. Stark, we have been planning this for-”

“I need to go.” Tony cut him off already halfway to the door.

Mr. Saito opened his mouth to protest, to call him back before his own phone buzzed with the news. He searched for the right words to say but by the time he had managed to get out

“Of course, Mr. Stark. Our thoughts go with you" Tony had already gone.

——————————

Tony rushed down the hall, bringing his phone back up to his face, trying to sort through the buzz in his mind as Pepper called again, jabbing at the screen.

“Pepper, how soon can I be in New York?”

“Your jet should be waiting for you. We should have you here in twelve hours.”

No. That wasn’t soon enough, he needed to be back sooner, quicker, he needed to be there.

“Twelve hours? Do I, do I even have twelve hours?! Pepper, tell me I have twelve hours. Tell me he’ll be fine in twelve hours.”

“I’m sorry Tony.” He heard her voice crack a little, her normally steel hard voice, a calm that nothing could ever break, broken, and his heart plummeted. “They’re doing what they can, and we’re trying to get you here as soon as we can.”

“Are you with him? Is Steve? Where’s Steve?” Tony tried to keep himself calm as he drove to the airport, breaking most the traffic laws in his rush. 

“I am on my way. Steve is there with him. He’s not currently conscious but Steve is with him now and I will be there soon.”

Tony hung up without another word.

“FRIDAY call Steve.” 

“Tony?”

Tears gathered in Tony’s eyes as he heard Steve’s voice, tight with worry and fear.

“Steve, are you with him? How is he? I’m so sorry I’m not there but I’m coming, make sure he knows I’m coming for him.”

“They won’t let me with him now. They’re- they’re operating.”

“But he’ll be okay, right? He has that healing factor. He’s going to be okay?” Tony was pleading as he got out of the car, running to the jet waiting.

“Tony….” Steve stopped before continuing. “I hope so, Tony. I really really hope so.”

A flight attendant came to him then, apologetically telling him that he had to turn his phone off now, he could continue as soon as they were in the air.

“Steve, I’m going to call you back in half an hour. If you get to see him, tell him I’m coming, okay? Tell him I love him and I’m coming. As soon as I can.” 

Tony hung up placing his head in his hands, as the engine started. He should be there, he shouldn’t be across the world when his family needed him the most, it was his fault he was all the way over here when his son needed him there, he should have brought the suit so he could fly back faster, should never have left at all, he was a terrible father and now his son lay in a hospital bed being operated on and he wasn’t even there, he wasn’t even there, and he might not get there in time, he might be too- 

He tried to stop himself, unable to deal with the thought, the possibility that he might be too late, that he would get there and time would be up, that he would get there and Peter would be, Peter would be,

He pulled out his phone again, counting down the seconds before he could call again, it was hell sitting there, waiting for the jet to be in the air so he could speak to someone, hell being alone in this moment.

But you deserve this, don’t you? A small voice from the back of his mind spoke up. You deserve to be in this hell, you left them alone, they’re alone now and you’re too far away, you’re taking too long, you’re going to be too late. 

Tony curled tighter into himself, face in his hands, yelling out a silent scream as the prospect ripped through him.

You’re going to be too late.  
——————————   
Steve paced back and forth desperately, wanting to punch something, wanting to yell, wanting to get some news, wanting to see his son, wanting his husband to be there with him. The rest of his team was there as well, the rest of his family. They had been here an hour now, an hour since the fight, an hour since Peter had fallen, screaming, and then terribly, horribly silent on the ground. He hadn’t been there but he could picture it, every second of it. He should have been there, should have been fighting with him, but it was just supposed to be a tiny no-name villain, it was never supposed to have happened like this. He should’ve been there, he realized. If he had been there this wouldn’t have happened.  
“I should have been there,” he muttered under his breath. Of course, in a room full of people with enhanced senses everything he said was heard. Bucky got up from where he had been sitting with Natasha, approaching him gently.  
“Steve?”  
Steve turned his face to Bucky a tortured expression painted on it.  
“I should have been there, Buck. I could have prevented this. I should have been there.”  
“It’s not your fault, Steve. Okay? Peter’ll be fine.” Bucky spoke comfortingly, hoping upon hope that he wasn’t lying. “Tony’s going to come, and the two of you are going to take Peter home, and you’ll all be fine.  
“But what if he isn’t? What if this time he’s not okay? What if this time he doesn’t wake up?”  
Bucky stood at a loss for words, what could he say? More empty assurances? It felt wrong to stand there making promises he couldn’t keep.  
“What if Tony doesn’t come in time? What if Tony arrives and it’s too late?” Steve increased his pace as walked back and forth, before stopping abruptly, jerking to a halt, as the doctor came out to see him.  
“Captain Rogers.”  
“Doctor?”  
“We’ve finished operating.”  
“Is he-?”  
“He’s alive now, but in critical condition. We’re not sure how long he has left.”  
“Can I see him?”  
The doctor nodded. “Only immediate family. Follow me.”  
Steve followed him immediately walking down the halls towards Peter’s room.  
“Captain..” the doctor seemed hesitant to speak.  
“Yes?”  
“Is your husband…Will he be coming?”  
“He’s on his way,” Steve answered tightly, dreading the doctor’s next words.  
“I’d, uh, just, um, I’d tell him to hurry.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so here it is after forever. Sorry for the wait!

“Mr. Stark?” the attendant asked gently. “You can call now.”  
It took Tony only a second to have his starkpad out and calling Steve. He picked up within another minute and Tony was able to see him against the background of the hospital room.  
“Steve.” He choked the name out.  
“Tony,” Steve responded, clinging to his own name like a lifeline.  
“Are you with him?”  
Tony saw Steve look away from his phone down onto what must have been the bed in front of him.  
“Yeah. They said he’ll probably wake up soon. If. If he wakes up.”  
“Can I see him?”  
Steve moved his phone so the camera was facing the bed. Tony took in the image of his son, pale, eyes closed, hooked up to so many machines, looking so small, and hurt, and wanted to reach out and hug him, wanted to be there with him.  
As he watched, Peter’s eyes fluttered open and he spoke woozily, looking up at Steve.  
“Dad?”  
“Peter. Peter, hi. I’m here.” Steve answered, gently taking his hand.  
“I’m sorry, Dad. I tried to stop him, but-” Peter broke off trying to cough, struggling to draw air into his lungs.  
“It’s okay. You did well. You did so well, Peter.”  
Peter smiled a little, wincing at the movement.  
“Is Papa here?”  
And Tony wanted to cry, wanted to teleport over there, but he was stuck 10 hours and a million miles away.  
“I’m on my way.” he forced his voice to remain as calm as possible. “I’m coming for you, alright? Just hang on. I’m coming.”  
Peter’s face furrowed in almost childlike confusion.  
“Can you come now? I want you here now. Please?”  
“I’m coming as soon as I possibly can. It’s going to take me a while but I’m flying to you as fast as possible and I’m gonna be there.”  
Peter nodded the tiniest bit, the movement sending pain shooting down his body and his fathers watched helplessly as his heartbeat shot up and he struggled to breathe.  
“It hurts.” the sound, a pitiful moan slipped out of his mouth. “It hurts so much.”   
Steve propped the phone up, rushing to get a doctor or a nurse who could administer some form of painkiller, leaving Tony to watch helplessly as a tear slipped out of Peter’s eye and down the side of his face.  
“I know, sweetie, and we’re going to get you something to stop it hurting, okay? It’s going to stop hurting.”  
“Papa,” Peter mumbled, half delirious from both the drugs and pain racing through his body. “I’m scared. I want you to come here, I don’t want to be alone.”  
“I am, Peter. I am coming for you. I’m so sorry I’m not there now.”  
“But you’ll be here soon?” and there was so much hope and want in Peter’s voice now.  
“As soon as I can. It might be a little bit of a while, but I’m going to be there with you.”  
He saw Steve coming back in with a nurse, moving in and out of the scope of the camera, in and out of Tony’s line of vision.  
Peter smiled the tiniest bit.  
“You’re going to fly home for me?”  
“Yeah, kid. I’m gonna fly home for you.”  
“Like for science. Remember?” Peter was even more incomprehensible now, his words slurring further as whatever extra painkillers he had been given took effect. “You flew home for me.”  
“Yeah, I remember,” Tony replied.  
“You were in Russia. I thought you were gonna miss it. And then-“  
 _And then just as Peter was about to walk away from his own poster board with Steve to go see all the others the doors had opened, and he had entered, straight from the airport._  
“Papa? I thought you were away!”  
“You think I’d miss your science fair for some business meeting?” Tony smiled, ruffling his hair. “I flew home for you.”   
“Your father wouldn’t have missed that for the world.” Steve had sat back down next to Peter and was gently holding his hand. “Remember when you showed him your project? He was so proud he forgot to be mad you were sneaking into his workshop to make it.”  
“And you tried to be upset.” Peter smiled a tiny bit more, looking now at Steve. “And you were told me I wasn’t allowed in there and I should know that. But you kept asking me how I did it. And then Papa tried to tell DUM-E that I wasn’t allowed in.”   
“He doesn’t listen to me, that bot,” Tony answered, trying to keep him talking. “He never did and he loves you too much to ever not try and help you with something. Remember that time you wanted to paint your room? And he decided to help?”  
Peter tried to laugh and his fathers watched as he struggled to gasp and writhed with the pain the movement brought.   
“Yeah.” he breathed out when he could. He squeezed Steve’s hand and the movement tore through Steve, the weakness of his son’s grip, normally strong enough to bend steel and now it was an effort to merely twitch his fingers hard enough to produce the slightest pressure.  
“I’m tired.” Peter stared up at him, his wide brown eyes reaching Steve’s pleading for something, for respite from the pain, from the hurt and confusion that he was infused with. “If I go to sleep will you stay with me? Don’t leave me, okay? Stay here?”  
Steve nodded, trying to remember how to speak, how to fight past the lump in his throat.   
“Yeah. I’m right here. Not going anywhere, Pete, alright? You can sleep and I’ll be right here when you wake up.”  
Peter turned his face to the phone where Tony was watching him, trying desperately to keep his face free of the pain he was feeling, trying to be strong for his son.  
“Don’t hang up? Stay also?” Words were evidently a struggle and Tony nodded before he had even finished.  
“I’m not going anywhere but closer to you. I’m not going to hang up on you. Just rest okay? Rest so that you can wake up stronger.”  
Peter’s eyes drooped closed then, his breathing still irregular but somehow smoothing just a little.  
Steve turned to the phone.  
“Tony-”  
“I know.”   
And it was evident on his face that he did, Tony’s face was a mirror of Steve’s own, the same pain and fear etched in now that Peter could no longer see them. Steve wanted nothing more then to reach out to him, to pull Tony close so they could support each other and fall onto each other as they always had. But now, at this moment, when they needed each other most, he was so far away.  
“Who can I speak to?” Tony asked, grasping at whatever he could, the prospect of being able to help even across the world. “Let me speak to one of the doctors.”  
Steve darted right out again to get one of the nurses asking who they could speak to. As usual, the Stark-Rogers name helped and Tony found himself talking to a doctor who was trying to tell him the impossible: that there was nothing more to do. Because there had to be something, there was always something, he couldn’t just sit her doing nothing. He spoke to various professionals for the next few hours always keeping a small video window open to the room where his son lay, his life draining away as his chest lifted and fell ever so slightly, his skin paler than snow. Steve remained in the room, occasionally speaking to Peter in his sleep.  
“You’re going to be okay, Peter.” He grasped the hand he held ever so slightly tighter as he spoke. “You’re so strong, you just need to hold on for us. Hold on for your fathers. We need you, Peter. Your father and I love you so so much, and we need you with us.” Steve faltered, again words failing him. When he spoke again it was in whisper, “Please stay with us.”  
Peter’s eyes opened again several hours later, gasping as he tried to register where he was. Steve could see the moment it all hit him, the moment the realization of where he was, of who was there and who was not, struck him.  
“Dad? Is Papa here yet?”  
Tony spoke before Steve had to answer, voice emanating from the tablet Steve had managed to get.  
“Not yet. But I’m coming, alright? Just a few more hours and then I’ll be with you, Peter. Just wait a couple more hours, can you do that for me? Wait a few more hours and I’ll be there.”  
“Are you- are you missing the important meeting?” And oh god, Peter actually looked concerned for him now, even as he struggled to ask the question. But that was Peter, always putting everyone before himself, caring for others papercuts before his own wounds.  
“I’m not missing anything more important.” Tony reassured him. “There’s nothing in the world I could be missing that’s more important than speaking with you right now.”  
Steve spoke up then as Peter sank down into his pillow, looking satisfied with Tony’s answer.   
“The rest of the team is waiting outside. Do you want to speak with any of them?”  
Peter nodded slowly.  
“Yeah.”  
Two minutes later the room was full, all the other avengers as well as Pepper having flooded in.  
“Hey, Spider-kid.” Bucky spoke first. “How’re you holding up?”  
“Been better.” Peter answered, attempting humor. He tried to speak again but broke off into a coughing fit. Steve leaned in closer to try and hear what he was trying to say.  
“Dad? Can I speak with Nat? Alone?”   
A wave of unease swirled over Steve at the question, but he trusted her and nodded.  
“Natasha. He wants to speak with you.”  
He motioned for the others to step outside.  
After the door was closed Natasha walked to the seat Steve had vacated and sat.  
“Hi, Peter.”  
“Nat? Will you answer me truthfully?”  
She stared at him, knowing the question that was coming deliberating for a long moment.   
“Yes.” She said at last.  
“Dad keeps telling me I’ll be okay. Will I?”  
Natasha sat still. It was clear why he had chosen her now, why he had chosen the avenger who would know the value of the truth even if it was hard, even if it was the wrong truth, the one no one wanted to hear.  
“The doctor’s think it’s possible. But…”  
“They’re not hopeful.” Peter finished for her. “It’s okay. I thought so. It’s okay.”  
“I’m sorry, Peter.”  
“No. No sorry. It’s not your fault. It’s no one’s fault. Will you help people remember that? Please make sure they know that it’s no one’s fault.”  
Natasha nodded silently.  
“And you need to stay okay? Dad, and Papa, they’re going to need you, and you can’t leave them now. Not on some extended mission, not to go track down someone far away where no one can contact you. Please don’t leave them after I’m gone.”  
“This isn’t certain.” Natasha said. “There’s still chances of recovery, there may be other options…”  
“I know. But just-” he was interrupted by another coughing fit. “Just in case. Make sure everyone stays also? Bucky, and Bruce, don’t let Thor fly off to Asgard. And my fathers, you all stay with them, okay? Don’t leave them alone unless they need to be and you need to be there for them.  
Natasha nodded again.  
“Thank you.” Peter breathed, smiling just the tiniest bit.  
Natasha left for a moment before the team came back in Steve coming to Peter’s side.   
“Papa’s nearly here.” Steve told him as he brought the tablet into his view.  
“I’m really close to New York.” Tony spoke. “I’m going to have to hang up while I land but then I’ll call you right back, alright? And then I’ll be there with you.”  
“Okay.”  
“I love you, Peter. To infinity and back.”  
Peter smiled at Tony and for some reason a chill ran through him then as he viewed him on the screen, face suddenly peaceful.  
“I love you too, Papa. I love you so much.”  
Tony’s screen went dark then as they began the descent and all he had to focus on was that image of Peter, smiling up at him as he told him he loved him, his face pale and ashy, but his eyes bright, a strange peace over his face and a sense of fear began to grow as the plane landed. By the time he was able to open his tablet again, half an hour later, the fear was full force rushing through his head pounding against his brain.  
He turned it on, pressing Steve’s contact with a growing sense of dread mixing with his fear.  
Pepper picked it up. He stared at her face on the screen for a full minute, neither of them speaking. He felt a presence behind him and turned to see Rhodey, who had apparently come to pick him up. He stared at him then, daring him to deliver the news.  
“I’m so sorry, Tony.” Rhodey told him and every word was trying to penetrate the fog surrounding Tony but no, this was wrong, how could this be, he just spoke to him, he was just there, he was going to see him, he was going to fly home to him and be with him.   
Rhodey held out his arms to him and Tony collapsed into them dropping the tablet onto the ground the realization hitting him hard.  
“I was too late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so there'll probably be another chapter but I promise nothing as for happy endings or not. I honestly don't know


End file.
